28/05/2026
May has been filled with meaningful conversations, new connections and inspiring visits at the Marshall Centre, reflecting the growing momentum of our research, partnerships and global engagement.
We were delighted to welcome Ms Elizabeth Perron, Executive Chair of the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation, together with Directors Mr Ross Ledger, Ms Fiona Payne and Mr Ross Robertson, to the Marshall Centre for Infectious Diseases Research and Training. The visit provided an opportunity to share first-hand the impact of the Foundation’s longstanding support for infectious diseases research, training and research infrastructure, and to thank the Foundation for its enduring partnership with the Marshall Centre.
During their visit, the Directors met Head of School and Director of the Marshall Centre, Professor Charlene Kahler; Nobel Laureate Professor Barry Marshall; Deputy Director Professor Mark Nicol; BrightSpark Early Career Research Fellow Dr. Ritika Kar Bahal, Ms Liz Fu and Ms Venessa Csd.
The visit highlighted the transformative impact of the Foundation’s investment in research capability and the new structure and scope of the Marshall Centre. This includes a $1.8 million grant supporting Professor Mark Nicol’s respiratory live biotherapy research and a recently announced $2.2 million grant to Professor Charlene Kahler to establish PC3 containment capability at UWA. Once completed, the facility will strengthen Western Australia’s capacity to respond to emerging infectious disease threats, support pandemic preparedness, and enable researchers to undertake critical work with high-risk pathogens closer to home.
The Directors also visited the PC2 Clinical Microbiology Laboratory at the Marshall Centre and met Foundation-supported students, Mr Kan YU and Ms Anastasia Basuki, and heard how their work is advancing child health, infectious diseases and microbiology research. From understanding the role of the respiratory microbiome in childhood health to investigating host–microbe interactions and emerging infectious disease challenges, these projects are helping to generate knowledge that can improve health outcomes both locally and globally.
We are sincerely grateful to the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation for its continued commitment to advancing health and medical research, supporting the next generation of researchers, and helping build a stronger future for infectious disease research in Western Australia.